Lock for laundry washer doors



No v. 19, 1940. AyB, BATTIS 2,222,495

LOCK FOR LAUNDRY WASHER DOORS l Filed Nov. 16, 1959 l Patented Nov. 19,1940 PATENT OFFICE l LOCK FOR LANDRY WASHER. DOORS vlden B. Battis,Dedham,` Massa" assignor t0 A Henrici Laundry Machinery Company, Boston,

Mass, a crporation of Massachusetts y Applicate@ November 16,lsaafseriai No.`3o4,644

40mm. (creta- 14stV This invention relates to an improvement in laundrywashers andhas as -its primary object means for locking the doorsof amulti-chamber washer whereby the order in which the doors may be openedand closed `is xed and all the doors may be locked closed by theprovision of a single locking unit acting upon one door.

This invention is shown in the drawing and will be described as employedin a dual-chamber washer, but obviously it is not limited thereto sinceit could be employed in washers having more than two chambers.

In the drawing Figs. 1, 2 and 3 illustrate in front elevation adual-chamber washer with the doors in various positions and equippedwith such locking means,

portions of the washer in Fig. 1 being brokenv away;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are enlarged views of the locking means of the washerswithin the circles 4,

5 and 6 in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 respectively;

Fig. 7 is a perspective View of a bolt of such locking means; and

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional View illustrating one way of mounting thebolt and its relation to the elements directly associated therewith.

'I'he dual-chamber washer I0 shown in the drawing includes doors II andI 2 mounted for raising or lowering in the housing I5 which, as

is the usual practice, encloses a rotatable drum (not shown) in whichthe articles to be washed are carried. The drum is actuated by suitabledriving means enclosed within the casing I6 and also includes doorsthrough which access may be had to the interior of the drum. Throughsuitable means common to this art and not here shown, since they form nopart of the present invention, the drum may be brought to rest with thedoors therein in register with the doors in the housing.

The doors II and I2 are arcuate and the portion of the housing in whichthey are mounted is similarly formed so that the doors, when raised orlowered, slide in an arc around the 45 housing in suitable guide means.The housing includes an arcuate plate 20 which extends over the adjacentside edges of the doors. That plate is mounted upon an arcuate supportbetween the doors, such support being here shown as com- 50 prising apair of bands 2| and 22. The upper band 22 is separated to provide apocket 23 in which is supported the bolt 25 of the locking means. l

As shown particularly in Fig. 7 the ends of the 55 bolt are rounded andreversely tapered. The

side edges of thedoors covered by the plate 20 are notched to receivethe ends of the bolt 2li;` The notch 26 is at the top of the door Ilkand the notch 21 is at the bottom of the door I2. The bolt 25 is longerthan the width of the sup- 5 porting bands 2| and 22 and the notches are4of such depth that when one end of the bolt is in the notch of one doorthe other is substantially ush with the other face of the supportingbands (see Figs. 4, 5 and 6). 10

The locking means functions as follows: When both doors are closed(Figs. 1 and 4), the bolt 25 is in the notch 26 of the door II. Theraising of that door is accordingly prevented, but the door I2 is freeto be opened. After the door I2 15 is fully opened, the notch 2'Itherein registers with the end of the bolt 25 so that when the door I Iis raised the bolt is shifted into the notch 2'I thus locking the doorI2 in the open position (Figs. 2 and 5, and Figs. 3 and 6). 20

Only when the door II is fully closed (Figs. 1 and 4) is the notch 26 inregister with the bolt 25 so that the door I2 can be closed, and onlywhen the door I2 is fully open is the notch 21 in register with the bolt25 so that the door II 25 can be opened.

It is the universal practice in machines of this type to provide meansby which the doors of the housing are locked when the drum is beingrotated and thus to prevent injury to the operator. 30 One advantage ofthis invention is that in a washer so equipped only one door (as hereshown the door I2) need be so locked. Various locking means havinginterrelation with the drum driving means may be employed, one suchbeing 35 indicated on the drawing by the reference numeral 30.

While one embodiment of this invention has been described, and that withreference to its employment in a washer of the dual-chamber type, itwill be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, sinceother embodiments may be made and employed with other types of washerswithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the accompanying claims.

Iclaim:

l. In a laundry washer of the multi-chamber type including a housingprovided with a plurality of doors, means for controlling the openingand closing of the doors in a predetermined order whereby one door mustbe first to be opened and the last to be closed, said means including abolt mounted between two doors and adapted to engage the adjacent edgesof said doors, the

` the last to be closed, said means including a bolt mounted between twodoors and laterally movl' able relative to the adjacent edgsof ksasizldoor,

the edge of one door having a notch therein which registers with theBolt. that` door is" closed, and the edge of the other doorhavng a# Ynotch therein which registers with thebolt when that door is opened, thelateral; movement? ofthebolt into a notch in register therewith.`preventing movement of the door provided with such noten andrpermittingmovement dit the' other door; s l n .f3.2 Inf. :1t/'laundry washer` ofthe: multgchafmber typeincluding acylindrical vhousing provided with,aman-fof arcuate doorsi sli'd'able in par `le 1,A ai-strap extending'over.' the*y adjacent edges ofboth doors, a bolt below said strap in thespace between the doors, said bolt being longer than the distancebetween the door edges and each of said edges having a notch thereinadapted to receive an end of the bolt, whereby the door in the notch ofwhich is received the end of the bolt being held against movement whilethe other door is freely movable. v n.

p 4. In va laundry' washerofthe multi-chamber type including acylindrical housing provided with a pair of arcuate doors slidable inparallel, a strap extending over the adjacent edges of b ')tl'f1-doors;ya bolt below said strap in the space between the doors, said bolt beinglonger than the distance betweenthe door edges and each of said edgeshaving' a notch therein adapted to receive an end of the bolt, the notchin one door' being inregister" with the bolt when that door is closedand the notch in the other door being in register with the bolt whenthat door is opent. whereby the mst-mentioned; door isy fnovabie.. onlywhen the' seccnmentioned. door is? open and the. second-mentioned dooris movable.

only" when: the nrstkmen-toned door is closed.`

` B BATTIS.

